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Criminology includes the study of all aspects of crime and law enforcement—criminal psychology, the social setting of crime, prohibition and prevention, investigation and detection, capture and punishment. Thus, many of the people involved—legislators, social workers, probation officers, judges, etc.—could possibly be considered criminologists, though the word usually refers only to scholars and researchers.
Examples of criminology in a Sentence
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With a change in leadership at the federal level, CTU is under pressure to stabilize its membership, said David Stovall, professor of Black studies and criminology, law and justice at the University of Illinois Chicago.
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Nell Salzman, Chicago Tribune, 21 Nov. 2024
Alpert, the criminology professor who worked with OPD on its policy, said the discipline seemed insufficient to the incident.
—Stephen Hudak, Orlando Sentinel, 1 Sep. 2024
Their motives can be similar to adults, but the decision-making portions of adolescent brains are still forming, which can make kids more hasty to use violence to solve petty conflicts, said Kathleen Heide, professor emerita of criminology at the University of South Florida.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY, 18 Oct. 2024
Both the fears and promises around algorithms in the courtroom assume judges are consistently using them
Still, University of Pennsylvania criminology professor Richard Berk argues that human decision-makers can be just as flawed.
—Lauren Feiner, The Verge, 30 Oct. 2024
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Nell Salzman, Chicago Tribune, 21 Nov. 2024
Alpert, the criminology professor who worked with OPD on its policy, said the discipline seemed insufficient to the incident.
—Stephen Hudak, Orlando Sentinel, 1 Sep. 2024
Their motives can be similar to adults, but the decision-making portions of adolescent brains are still forming, which can make kids more hasty to use violence to solve petty conflicts, said Kathleen Heide, professor emerita of criminology at the University of South Florida.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY, 18 Oct. 2024
Both the fears and promises around algorithms in the courtroom assume judges are consistently using them
Still, University of Pennsylvania criminology professor Richard Berk argues that human decision-makers can be just as flawed.
—Lauren Feiner, The Verge, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for criminology
Dictionary Entries Near criminology
Cite this Entry
“Criminology.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/criminology. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
criminology
noun
crim·i·nol·o·gy
ˌkrim-ə-ˈnäl-ə-jē 
: a scientific study of crime, of criminals, and of their punishment or correction
Medical Definition
Legal Definition
criminology
noun
crim·i·nol·o·gy
ˌkri-mə-ˈnä-lə-jē
: the scientific study of crime as a social phenomenon, of criminals, and of penal treatment
criminologically
adverb
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